


Priorities

by skargasm



Series: Taming the Muse [29]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, LJ Prompt, M/M, Oblivious Stiles, Sheriff Stilinski & Stiles Stilinski Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 21:37:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2244339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skargasm/pseuds/skargasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles had fucked up royally—just how would he get Derek to listen to him so that he could explain his priorities?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Priorities

He watched silently as Derek left his room, feeling as though his heart was being wrenched from his chest. How the hell was he meant to cope with this? After everything, it just all seemed monumentally unfair. He barely noticed his father coming into the room, chin resting on his hand as he closed his eyes wearily.

“So—he left.”

“Uh huh.”

“I thought—well, is there something there? What with him coming to check on you and all, I wondered—“

“No, no I don’t think so.”

“Son, you never know—“

“I’m pretty sure he’s in love with someone else. Her name’s Braeden and I guess she was there for him when I wasn’t.” Unspoken were the words ‘when I was busy being there for Scott’ he knew his father heard them. It had been a bit of a bone of contention between them, just how much time and energy Stiles had put into helping Scott with his studies, almost to the detriment of his own. And his father didn’t even know about how much effort had gone into getting Allison to take Scott back. He’d let his chance go by because he was busy being a good friend to someone who didn’t even notice when he got beaten up by the opposing team after the lacrosse game of his life—monumentally unfair. 

“I see.” The familiar weight of his father’s hand coming to rest on his shoulders was a comfort but he still felt like crying. “Maybe he’s just waiting for you to show him your priorities.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, if I can see you spent a lot of time and energy helping Scott this last semester, then it must be pretty obvious. Derek was here a lot and we chatted some. He really liked you Stiles, but I think he thought he wasn’t a priority for you and you can’t keep something alive one-sided. It takes two you know kiddo.”

“Derek was here? Talking to you? Derek doesn’t really do talking.” 

“Yes. A couple of times you forgot he was coming round to study and once with a flimsy excuse about leaving a sweater here.” Stiles flinched, remembering at least three such occasions when he’d missed calls and texts from Derek because he’d been handling Scott’s emotional breakdown no.40 about what to do about Allison. The joint project that Derek had pretty much carried alone **and** managed to get them both a really decent grade. The ‘could have been first date’ when Stiles had had to bail because Scott needed him and he was pretty sure that Derek was already at the movie theater by the time Stiles managed to get hold of him to say he couldn’t make it. 

“Well, fuck.”

“Language kiddo.”

“Sorry Dad.” His father shook his head fondly and patted him on the shoulder, obviously preparing to leave the room. “Hey, Dad? How do I show him—that he’s a priority I mean.”

“Is he?”

“What?”

“Is he a priority? Because if he isn’t, don’t you think it’s fairer to let him go and see if he is in love with this Braeden? I gotta be brutally honest with you Stiles, if I was him I’m not sure I’d give you a second chance. Or third. Or whatever number this is.”

“Yes, thank you, I am well aware of just how much I have screwed this up. I just—I wanted to be a good friend to Scott because he needed me and by the time I realized that I was messing up with Derek it just seemed like it was too late or too hard – I don’t know.” Shaking his head, Stiles tried to figure out what he was trying to say. “I mean, you’ve seen him. I didn’t believe he was interested in me at first, you know. I mean, I was a bench-warmer on the lacrosse team while he was co-captain with Jackson. When he started helping me out with my game, I thought he was just being a good guy—he’s so the opposite to Jackson, he does that, you know? Helps out the guys who need it. He and Danny should compete for who’s the nicest guy at Beacon Hill.”

His dad stopped in the doorway, leaning against the jamb as he listened. 

“So what convinced you he was interested?”

“Chemistry. He _asked_ to be partnered with me when Harris was being a dick—sorry, but he **is** a dick Dad! Just upped and said he’d partner with me when Harris was making it sound like a definite F for anyone who took the chance. And it wasn’t because he’s a dumb jock or anything—his grade is better than mine and damned close to Lydia’s. I thought maybe then but it was hard to tell. He plays his cards close to his chest.”

“I never thought that to be honest, son. I mean, he’s been through a lot losing his family in that fire but he’s a remarkably open young man considering that. He’s a real credit to Laura and his uncle—didn’t go off the rails or anything when it happened. He could have closed himself off, tried to safeguard himself from being hurt again but he doesn’t seem to have done that. When he and I talked—Stiles, you would have to be blind not to realize he liked you a lot.”

“So I’m blind! I’m 147 lbs. of pale sarcasm and he’s well on the way to being a muscled hunk with a beautiful face and those stupidly adorable teeth of his! He’s got stubble Dad – real, honest to God stubble!”

“Yes, Stiles, I had noticed and perhaps you could keep the um physical details to yourself.”

“Yeah, sorry, I just—when I started realizing he was deliberately sitting too close, and he and his clique suddenly took over our lunch table, and he bought me that comic, I just—it took me that long. Like, he kissed me and I waited for him to punch me or tell me it was a joke and he just—he just blushed and apologized like he should be worried he’d upset me. He’s ridiculous.”

“Uh huh.”

“And I’ve spent the last six weeks helping Scott with his school work and his love life and made Derek feel like he doesn’t matter and I don’t know what to do about it. I knew Braeden liked him—she’s not exactly subtle. And I knew he went both ways, so it’s not like I didn’t realize she was a threat—I just thought I would have more time to let him know how I feel, that he **IS** a priority. I couldn’t not help Scott—he’s practically my brother and he needed me. I shoulda made sure Derek knew that and maybe included him in things more. Hell, I don’t know—no one gives you a manual when you hit puberty that says how to handle finding the person who could possibly be the love of your life at sixteen and your best friend’s life is imploding at the same time.”

“Love of your life huh?”

“Could be. And now he’s going to the formal with Braeden and I won’t get a chance to tell him any of this because he’s probably going to ignore me from now on and I’ll have to live the rest of my life knowing I completely screwed this up.”

Folding his arms onto the desk in front of him, he bounced his head off of them a few times. 

“Stiles—why do you think he came round tonight?”

“To pick up that book he needed for tomorrow. He made it pretty clear he didn’t want to talk to me so I just handed it to him and let him go.”

“Jesus, kiddo, are you really this—okay, yes, you really are this oblivious.” His dad was shaking his head, stepping out into the hallway whilst giving Stiles what was obviously a pitying look. 

“What? What am I missing now?” He threw his hands up in frustration and wished people would stop talking in code—how was he to understand all of the subtext that seemed to exist in everything? 

“I’ll let you figure it out. But Stiles? It might be a good time to use your words—and I don’t mean talking nonsense the way you normally do. Why don’t you try telling him how you feel?”

“Well I would but he left and—“ He stopped speaking, mouth dropping open as Derek appeared in the doorway, still clutching the textbook he’d picked up earlier.

“I hadn’t quite left yet—your dad asked me to hang on for a minute.” Derek wasn’t meeting his gaze but he was still there, standing in Stiles’ room, not gone to be with Braeden. He was right there. Oh my God, his dad had let him say all of that stuff with Derek right there—he couldn’t figure out whether he wanted to hug him or kill him. Probably hug him. Maybe.

“I—yeah, um, I guess you heard all of that.”

“Yup.” Stiles stood up, taking a step towards Derek.

“So—do I need to say it all again? About what a complete dick I was, and how I didn’t realise I was neglecting you and that it’ll never happen again? Because I totally will if you need me to but—I mean, Derek dude, you have got to know how I feel about you by now right?”

“Love of your life huh?” 

“Yeah, something like that.” A slight quirk to the corner of Derek’s mouth was such a good sign.

“What happens if Scott and Allison implode again? This thing with Isaac isn’t going to go away just because they’re trying to pretend it didn’t happen.”

“I swear to you, hand on heart, I told Scott he needs to either choose between them or let them both go. And he knows how much I love him but that I need to shift my priorities.” He took another step closer, daring to reach out and take the text book out of Derek’s hand and drop it heedlessly to the floor. 

“So what, I’m just meant to fall for the Stilinski charm all over again? Put myself at risk?”

“Yeah, something like that.” A slight tug and Derek stumbled into him and it was easy to put his arms around that lean waist and pull him closer. Even easier to tilt his head the very small amount needed to press his lips to Derek’s. 

“And why should I? I mean, you made it pretty clear how far down the list I came.” The words weren’t angry which he could have coped with. Instead they were sad. 

“No. I messed up but you’re not on the list—I mean, the list isn’t that big—I mean, shit, I mean that if there **was** a list, you would be number two. The only person you come behind is my dad and there are definitely times when you come higher than him.” There was that quirk again, the one that said Derek heard the innuendo in what he said and was silently appreciating his humour. This was going to be alright, it really was. “Derek, dude, if it wasn’t too soon to be saying certain words, I’d be saying them. You know what I mean, right?”

Derek hesitated and Stiles was sure his heart stopped beating. Then, he felt Derek’s chest rise and fall sharply just before he relaxed all of his weight until he was resting fully against Stiles, trusting him to hold him up. 

“Yeah, I know. And I—“ The jangling ring tone was loud, the sound of ‘Turn Down For What’ loud in the sudden silence. That was Scott’s ringtone and he realised Derek had frozen in place, obviously expecting Stiles to answer it. With no comment at all, he dug the phone out of his pocket and threw it behind his back, hearing the muffled thud as it hit the ground on the far side of his bed. Then he completely forgot that the phone had rung at all because Derek was kissing him like Stiles was an all-night buffet and he hadn’t eaten in years and he knew it really was going to be alright.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I've been rewatching from Season 1 and 2 and just saw the episode in S2 after Stiles is beaten up by Gerard and Lydia visited him. I loved the Sheriff trying to cheer Stiles up and somehow, this came out of it!
> 
> Taming the Muse Prompt : Safeguard  
> Writing Week : 69
> 
> * * *


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